After Arnold Schwarzenegger, Phil Heath Reveals Why He Doesn’t Like the Phrase “Self Made”

Published 04/16/2024, 10:30 AM EDT

Bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger is the wealthiest and most successful bodybuilder of all time. However, despite his stardom, Arnie disliked being called self-made. While many have used the term to describe the Austrian Oak, he doesn’t agree. Similarly, his fellow seven-time Mr. Olympia Phill Heath has similar reasons for disliking the phrase.

The 44-year-old appeared on the High Performance YouTube channel for an exclusive interview. During his interview, the bodybuilding champion opened up about his vulnerable side and explained he dislikes people who don’t help others succeed. Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Phil Heath believes that once you find success, you should help others and not call yourself self-made.

“You’re not some Socrates… You didn’t start at the beginning of society and just figured this out,” said The Gift. “You figured it out through someone else’s pain, you figured it out by something you saw,” added the former Mr. Olympia. The bodybuilder who equaled Arnold Schwarzenegger in Olympia titles wins said successful people need to acknowledge the people they’ve learned from.

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“There’s no problem of saying yeah man I learned this from this person,” the 44-year-old told the hosts. Phil Heath said that instead of acting like a person can achieve success themselves, they should appreciate the mentors and life lessons that made them successful. Heath also thinks that once you are in a position to help, you should be that mentor to someone else.

Heath didn’t hold back on how he views successful people who don’t help others. “If you don’t you’re an ass. You’re just such a coward, you’re just so self-centered…” said the veteran bodybuilder. However, Arnold Schwarzenegger is ideal in Heath’s eyes, because the 76-year-old bodybuilding legend doesn’t believe in the phrase self-made.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger never discredits his mentors

While Arnold Schwarzenegger may be the living symbol of the American dream, the bodybuilder never takes credit for his achievements. Schwarzenegger takes every opportunity to thank his mentors. Kurt Marnul was the man who taught him to lift weights, Freddy Gerstl taught him philosophy, and Reg Park, Vince Gironda, and Joe Weider helped him in bodybuilding.

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Arnold Schwarzenegger has repeatedly said that these men and many more have taught him everything he knows. While he may have a net worth of $450 million, Arnie claims he would’ve amounted to nothing without the help of the mentors who taught him to succeed in every field of life.

So despite being legends of their sport, neither Arnold Schwarzenegger nor Phil Heath likes being called self-made. They owe their success to what others taught them and show gratitude at every step.

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Written by:

Sagnik Bagchi is a senior bodybuilding writer at EssentiallySports. A passionate fitness enthusiast himself, Sagnik uses his knowledge of bodybuilding to focus on the coverage of major events like the Mr. Olympia and Arnold Classic.

Edited by:

Gokul Pillai

After Arnold Schwarzenegger, Phil Heath Reveals Why He Doesn’t Like the Phrase “Self Made”

Arnold Schwarzenegger never discredits his mentors

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